Stevens Firm - January 2019

2. Reading is a superpower. In 2018, our family has, in different ways, rediscovered a love for reading, and we’re enjoying the benefits in many ways. Jenny has always loved books but has focused this year on reading more about a new practice area (estate planning) and also about growing the firm with lots of business book reading. Ben, not a huge fiction reader, has discovered an enjoyment of some great audiobooks this year, which keeps him company in his art studio while painting in his downtime. Nylah, our granddaughter, is growing her library and enjoys finding new books about girls who can do anything they set their minds to. Her mother (our oldest daughter, Tory) has discovered the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace series and is working on implementing some of his wisdom in 2019 to set up

January is always a wonderful time to sit back and take stock of life, make resolutions to improve your life and the lives of those around you, and to start new projects that have long been neglected. In our family, the months of December and January also include big holidays and the majority of our birthdays as well. Jenny’s birthday is Dec. 30, Ben’s birthday is Jan. 13, we have two children whose birthdays are Jan. 10 and Jan. 19, and our granddaughter’s birthday is Jan. 25. To say it’s a busy time of year is a massive understatement, but we still like to take time and think about all the lessons the previous year has taught us in order to make the new year the best it can be. Here are just some of the lessons we’re pondering this new year. 1. Failing is not the problem. How you fail is the problem. Most people know we have six children (and now one granddaughter). That’s a lot of parenting of a lot of different personalities all at once. Some people look at pictures of our family or follow us on Facebook and (wrongly) assume we have perfected the art of parenting and that our family is that “picture perfect” all of the time. It’s not, I assure you! But even in our “failures” as parents, we always try to “fail forward.” We don’t let the big mistakes set us back or discourage us from trying again. We try to figure out what went wrong, apologize for the hurts, and do better next time.

a more prosperous future for herself and her daughter. If you’re interested in starting a new reading habit, you can follow Jenny on GoodReads.com to see the list of books she’s currently reading or to read her recommendations of books she’s read in the past. 3. When you choose happy, your life expands exponentially. 2018 presented situations over and over for us that pounded this lesson home. We had health scares and family hospital stays. We watched a close friend deal with his mother’s cancer diagnosis, treatment, and eventual passing in hospice care. We dealt with disappointing treatment and behavior from those we love. At work, we had cases come to us that were unwinnable, and we had cases where we’ve believed the results were unfairly decided. And yet, through it all, when we chose to approach the day with happiness and kindness, despite the circumstances we have no control over, life really was better. Sometimes it feels like the world is full of excuses for why we can’t be happy or grateful or kind, but that’s the biggest lie of them all. You can choose your outlook. You can choose how those outside influences affect your daily disposition. You can choose to smile. We do, and we hope you will, too. What are your biggest or favorite life lessons from 2018? We’d love to hear about them. We hope you’ll connect with us on social media and share with us!

–Ben and Jenny Stevens

Reminder About Our Firm’s Communication Policy Our promise to you is that while we are working on your case, we don’t take inbound phone calls, faxes, or emails. Our senior partner, Ben Stevens, takes no unscheduled inbound phone calls, as we have found this makes him much more productive and enables him to focus on getting your case resolved faster. You can always call our office at (864) 598-9172 and schedule an in-person or phone appointment with any of our attorneys, usually within 24–48 hours. We believe this approach is much better than the endless game of phone tag played by most businesses today. Email is also an efficient way to communicate with us, but please

be advised that emails are not typically checked more than twice per day. If you need something quickly, don’t email — call our office and speak with one of our assistants, who will be happy to help you. Disclaimer: This publication is intended to educate the general public about family law issues. It is not intended to be legal advice. Every case is different. The information in this newsletter may be freely copied and distributed so long as the newsletter is copied in its entirety and proper credit is attributed to “The Stevens Firm, P.A. — Family Law Center (SCFamilyLaw.com).”